Are Mythic Items weaker than they used to be?
Mythic items were initially presented as single piece item sets possessing incredible power and usefulness. Over time, there have been mythic items that shape the entirety of PvE or PvP metas and mythic items that are simply competitive without being game-breaking. In the last three releases where new mythic items were introduced, there has been a notable decrease in their potency, instead favoring gimmick mechanics. The most recent Public Test Server patch, Update 36: Firesong, is the first release that has shown little to no interest in the mythic items from a large portion of the community.
When mythic items first launched with the Antiquity System in the Greymoor chapter, every single mythic item served a purpose and saw use in one application or another, whether it was the sheer offensive power of Thrassian Stranglers in PvE content, or the potency of Malacath’s Band of Brutality in PvP scenarios. Over time, as new mythic items were introduced, the number of optimal or even viable mythic items has decreased. Markarth and Blackwood had a couple of strong mythic items that defined metas, namely Ring of the Pale Order and Harpooner’s Wading Kilt, but the rest fell to the wayside as largely useless or too niche for general use.
In Deadlands, there were no real exciting mythic items that got the community excited enough to talk about it. Spaulder of Ruin was strong and would secure its place in the endgame, but it was not nearly as widely impactful as an item such as the Ring of the Pale Order. High Isle had one mythic item that stirred up widespread discussion among endgame players, PvP players, and casual players: Oakensoul Ring. While a couple of other items got some attention such as the Sea-Serpent’s Coil and Mora’s Whispers, they were not seen with nearly as much favor as the Oakensoul Ring, which was nerfed the following patch.
Unfortunately, Update 36 Firesong does not bring any mythic items that have generated hype or discussion among any population of players. While it’s possible there are fewer players to participate in such discussions after the controversial Update 35 Lost Depths combat changes, it seems more likely that these new mythic items lean too far away from the powerful unique pieces and too close to the niche use case items.
There is certainly a downward trend in the strength of mythic items as well as the number of strong mythic items as they have launched in much more balanced or even toned-down states in the last several releases. Perhaps Firesong’s mythic items could use some more attention to give them a chance to shine, or perhaps this is the direction Zenimax Online Studios wish to take with mythic items. Only time will tell.